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The Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union. The Council is responsible for decision-making and co-ordination. The acts of the Council can take the form of regulations, directives, decisions, common actions or common positions, recommendations or opinions. The Council can also adopt conclusions, declarations or resolutions.

The SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) programme is one of the most ambitious research and development projects ever launched by the European Community. Its mission is to develop a modernised air traffic management system for Europe. This future system will ensure the safety and fluidity of air transport over the next thirty years, will make flying more environmentally friendly and reduce the costs of air traffic management.

The IMI is a unique partnership between the European Community and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The aim of IMI is to support the faster discovery and development of better medicines for patients and to enhance Europe’s competitiveness by ensuring that its biopharmaceutical sector remains a dynamic high-technology sector.

The ERC is the first European funding body set up to support investigator-driven frontier research. Its main aim is to stimulate scientific excellence by supporting and encouraging the very best, truly creative scientists, scholars and engineers to be adventurous and take risks in their research. The scientists are encouraged to go beyond established frontiers of knowledge and the boundaries of disciplines.

On 6 May 2014, the Council of the European Union adopted the Regulation establishing the ECSEL Joint Undertaking. This new organisation replaces ARTEMIS JU and ENIAC JU. ECSEL JU has become operational as of 27 June 2014.

The main objectives of ECSEL JU are to take part in the implementing of Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation framework programme, and to contribute to the development of a strong and globally competitive electronics components and systems industry in the European Union.

The Research Executive Agency is a funding body created by the European Commission to foster excellence in research and innovation. It manages large parts of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7), the main EU funding package to respond to Europe’s needs in terms of jobs and competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.

With effect from 1 January 2014, the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA), which was set up by the European Commission in 2006 to manage the technical and financial implementation of its TEN-T programme, has become the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA). INEA’s mission is to implement parts of the EU programmes: Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Horizon 2020 and the legacy programmes: TEN-T and Marco Polo 2007-2013.